Follow-up scans
Keeping a Personal — Scan Log
Over years of cancer follow-up you may have scans at several hospitals, sometimes in different cities. A personal log keeps that history in one place — readable at every new appointment, regardless of where the last one was.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla, Medical Oncologist, MBBS · MD · DM (Adyar, Chennai) · ECMO · MRCP SCE (UK) · Last reviewed September 2026
- Travels with you — Your log goes to every appointment, even if your records do not.
- Tracks cumulative dose — Knowing your total radiation exposure helps your team decide when a scan is truly needed.
- Catches gaps — A written record makes it easy to notice if a scheduled scan was missed.
- Costs nothing to start — A notebook or a phone note is enough. No app required.
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A personal scan log is a running record of every imaging study you have had — the date, the type of scan, the centre, the key findings, and the estimated radiation dose. Over years of follow-up, it saves time at every new appointment and helps your team spot changes that matter.
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Why does keeping your own scan record help your doctors?
When you move between hospitals or see a new specialist, your scan history does not always travel with you. A personal log means your oncologist has the full picture from the start of any new consultation, without waiting for records to be transferred.
Cumulative radiation dose matters across a lifetime of follow-up. Knowing how many CT scans you have had, at which centres, allows your team to weigh each new request against your total exposure rather than treating each scan in isolation.
It also makes it easier to notice if a scheduled scan has been missed or delayed. Over years, that kind of gap is harder to catch without a written record.
Which format works better — paper, phone or spreadsheet?
| Feature | Paper notebook | Notes app on phone | Spreadsheet (Sheets / Excel) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to start | Immediate — write the first entry now | Immediate — open a new note | Around fifteen minutes to set up columns |
| Risk of losing it | Lost or damaged if the book is misplaced | Safe if the app syncs automatically | Safe if saved to cloud storage |
| Legible to others | Depends on handwriting | Clear, typed text | Clear, typed text with sortable columns |
| Sharing at appointments | Show the page directly | Show the screen or email a screenshot | Print or share a link to the document |
| Tracking cumulative dose | Add up by hand | Add up by hand | Easiest to run a total column |
| Works best for | One centre, shorter follow-up | Easy access anywhere, any duration | Multiple centres, long follow-up, more detail |
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What exactly should the log contain?
What to record for each scan entry
Record the date, the type of scan (X-ray, ultrasound, CT, MRI, PET-CT, bone scan), the body part scanned, the centre where it was done, and the name of the radiologist or department if it appears on the report. Add the key finding in plain language — 'no change', 'lymph node slightly smaller', 'new area noted, biopsy advised' — and the estimated radiation dose if it is printed on the report. A single line per scan is enough. You do not need to copy the full report into the log.
How to use the log at appointments
Bring the log to every appointment, including first consultations with a new specialist. Mention that you have a record and offer to show it before the doctor pulls up their own system. This is especially useful when you are seeing someone at a different hospital, when you are travelling for a second opinion, or when a long gap has passed since your last visit. A doctor who can see your full imaging history in two minutes is better placed to explain what has changed and what has not.
Should you keep the actual scan reports as well?
Yes, if you can. A log gives you the summary; the original report and imaging disc give the detail if a question arises later. Keep digital copies of reports in a labelled folder — sorted by year is usually enough. For imaging discs (CDs or USB drives from the radiology centre), a single labelled envelope keeps them together. Most centres will re-issue a disc on request, but that takes time, and having your own copy means you are never waiting for it when you need it.
How do you find the radiation dose figure?
The radiation dose for CT and PET-CT scans is sometimes recorded on the report as a DLP (dose-length product) or CTDIvol value. Not every report includes it, and not every patient needs to track it to that level of precision. A simpler approach is to record the number and type of each radiation-based scan (CT, PET-CT, bone scan, X-ray) and let your oncologist or radiologist interpret the cumulative picture if it becomes relevant. MRI and ultrasound use no ionising radiation, so dose tracking does not apply to them.
What if you forgot to record earlier scans?
Start from today. A partial log is more useful than no log, and you can fill in earlier entries over time as you find old reports or check your appointment records. Hospitals are required to maintain imaging records and are usually able to provide a list of studies you have had with them on request — this can help you reconstruct the history. Do not put off starting because the record is incomplete. The entries from this point forward are the most immediately useful ones.
Did you know?
Patients with a cancer diagnosis receive substantially more imaging studies over their follow-up period than the general population, and some surveillance schedules involve scans every few months for the first two years alone.
A personal log is the only document that holds every scan from every centre in one place — your medical records do not.
Source: NCCN Guidelines for Survivorship Care Planning
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Explore 62 more Family Support, Myths, Follow-Up and Emergencies topics
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- Reducing Radiation Across Years of Surveillance
- Scan-Based vs Symptom-Based Follow-Up
- Surveillance Scanning by Cancer Type: A Reference Table
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- Transferring Surveillance to a Centre Closer to Home
- What Happens If a Surveillance Scan Shows Something?
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- After the Scan: What the Family Should Know
- Collecting and Storing the Report and Images
- Coordinating a Scan for a Parent in Another City
- Explaining a Parent's Scan to Children
- Explaining the Scan to an Anxious Patient
- Getting an Elderly Parent to and From the Scan
- Helping Someone Fast Before a PET-CT
- Managing Cost and Payment as a Family
- Preparing Questions for the Post-Scan Consultation
- The Family's Complete Guide to a PET-CT Scan Day
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Emergencies & Red Flags
- Accidental Radiation Exposure: Pregnancy Discovered After a Scan
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- Emergencies Around a PET-CT Scan: What Needs Immediate Care
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Myths & Misinformation
- Ayurvedic and Alternative Alternatives to a PET Scan
- Myth: A Normal PET Scan Means You Are Cured
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- Myth: You Stay Radioactive for Days After a PET Scan
Scanxiety & Emotional Impact
- Fear of What the Scan Will Find
- Getting Bad News From a Scan Report
- Getting Good News: Why Relief Is Complicated
- Living Between Scans: The Six-Month Rhythm
- Making the Most of Your Post-Scan Consultation
- Recurring Scanxiety in Long-Term Surveillance
- Scanxiety: The Fear Before and After a PET-CT
- Should You Look Up Your Results Online Before the Consult?
- Supporting Someone Through Scan Day
- Telling Family About Scan Results
- The Night Before a PET-CT Scan
- Waiting for PET-CT Results: How to Get Through It
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Your next step
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Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Is there a standard template I should use?
There is no single required format. A notebook with columns for date, scan type, body area, centre, key finding and dose works as well as a printed spreadsheet. The most important thing is that you use it consistently. If you want a starting point, a table with those six columns covers everything most oncologists will want to see at a glance. Start simple and add detail over time rather than designing the perfect log before you write anything down.
Will my doctor not have all this information already?
Not reliably, and not across different hospitals. Radiology reports are filed at the centre where the scan was done. If you have had scans at three hospitals over five years, each centre holds only its own records — and retrieving them takes time. Your log is the only document that has everything in one place. Many oncologists find it genuinely useful, particularly when you are seen somewhere new or when reconstructing a timeline of how something has changed over time.
Do I need to record ultrasound and MRI as well as CT?
Yes. All imaging is worth recording, including ultrasound and MRI. Neither modality involves ionising radiation, so there is no dose to track, but the finding and the date still matter. A record that includes only CT and PET-CT gives an incomplete picture of your imaging history. Record every scan, note the modality clearly, and mark MRI and ultrasound so that any dose total applies only to the radiation-based studies.
How should I store the log so I do not lose it?
Photograph notebook pages regularly and email them to yourself or a family member as a backup. If you are using a phone note or spreadsheet, check that it syncs to cloud storage — losing the phone should not mean losing the record. The simplest backup is to share the document with a family member who attends appointments with you, so two people hold the same record without extra effort on your part.
Can a family member keep the log on my behalf?
Yes, and for many patients this is the most practical arrangement. A family member who attends appointments regularly is often better placed to maintain a complete record, since they are present for conversations about what was found and what was decided. Whoever keeps it, the log should be available at every appointment — not stored only on one person's phone or in one location that you cannot always reach.
How long should I keep the records?
Keep them for as long as you are in follow-up, and consider keeping the log itself indefinitely even after active surveillance ends. A cancer history is relevant to future unrelated medical care — a doctor treating a new condition will want to know about prior radiation exposure. The imaging disc or report from ten years ago may matter in a context you cannot predict today. Storage is minimal; the benefit of having it available when needed is considerable.